Kit providing a consumer product

ABSTRACT

A kit provides a plurality of a consumer product. The kit includes the plurality of consumer products, a package that at least partially encloses the consumer products. The package includes an indicia that communicates a feature of the consumer products that is unrelated to the direct use of the products.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to kits for providing consumer products. Theinvention relates particularly to kits for providing a plurality ofstorage containers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Kits providing consumer products are well known. Kits including aplurality of a particular product or a combination of products togetherwith a package adapted to consolidate the products for display, sale,and transport are also known. Package graphics intended to attractpotential shoppers to the package and to educate the shopper regardingbeneficial aspects related to the use of the product are also wellknown.

Kits providing educational information to the shopper regardingadditional benefits, unrelated to the direct use of the products, butstill intended to encourage the purchase of the kits may facilitate kitsales.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGURE is a schematic perspective view of one embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following describes kits of the invention including a plurality of aconsumer product. For purposes of illustration only, the described kitsinclude a plurality of consumer storage containers. One of skill in theart will understand that the kits of the invention are not limited tothis product.

In one embodiment, illustrated in FIGURE, a kit 100 comprises aplurality of storage containers 10. The storage containers comprisecomponent parts including container bodies 12 and covers 14. Thecontainers 10 may be disposable, semi-durable, or durable depending uponthe intended market segment and desired price point for the kit. Thecontainers may be manufactured from any material suited to the nature ofthe intended use of the containers and intended market segment.Exemplary materials include glass, metal, paper, and polymericmaterials. The plurality of containers 10 may comprise a number ofsimilarly sized containers or a collection of containers providing arange of sizes. In one embodiment, the container covers 14 comprise acover interlocking feature 16. The cover interlocking feature 16 enablesmultiple covers to be releasably attached to each other into a unitizedcover configuration. In one embodiment, the material of the covers 14may be selected with sufficient resilience to enable the coverinterlocking feature to comprise forcing a protrusion of a first coverinto engagement with a corresponding recess of a second cover toreleasably join the covers 14 to each other. The design of the coversmay be such that a single feature of the covers shape forms both theprotrusion and the recess. In other embodiments, the cover interlockingfeature may comprises mated sets of threads, suitable quick releasefasteners, corresponding hook and loop fastening pairs and otherfastening systems as are known in the art.

In one embodiment the unitized cover configuration may be releasablyattached to a single container body 12 or to a set of nested containerbodies 12. In this embodiment, each cover 14 includes a container facingside and a second side. The unitized cover configuration comprises afirst outermost cover having an exposed container facing side, and asecond opposing outermost cover having an exposed second side. A set ofnested container bodies 12 may comprise a plurality of container bodies12 designed to form a nested stack. At least one container body of thosein the nested stack is disposed such that the body element to which acover 14 is intended to attach is sufficiently exposed to enable a cover14 to be attached to the body 12. The single container body 12 orplurality of nested container bodies 12 are releasably attached to thefirst outermost cover 14 of the unitized cover configuration accordingto the design of the cover/body combination for releasably attaching thecovers 14 to the bodies 12.

Attaching the unitized configuration of covers 14 to a set of nestedcontainer bodies 12 yields a unitized plurality of containers 10 thatmay efficiently separated into respective pairs of one container body 12and a matching container cover 14 by the removal of the outermost singlecover 14, and the outermost single container 12 from the unitizedplurality of containers. This embodiment promotes efficient storage ofthe containers not in use by enabling all the components 12 and 14 ofthe containers 10 to be stored as a unitized plurality of containers 10.

The kit also comprises a package 20 partially enclosing the storagecontainers 10. The package may be formed from suitable packagingmaterials including polymeric films and wraps, paper and cardboard of arange of weights and grades, metal foils, and combinations of the above.The package 20 serves a multitude of purposes comprising maintaining theelements of the kit in a unitized from and resist forces acting toseparate kit components. The package may also function to protect theelements of the kit from exposure to excessive moisture andtemperatures, as well as preventing dirt, dust and debris fromcontacting the kit contents. The package may also provide at least onesurface upon which to communicate information regarding the product ofthe kit including, without being limiting, brand name, price, size,quantity, material, intended uses, sales promotion and combinationsthereof. The provided information may also include instructionsregarding the intended use or uses for the products and warnings tocommunicate uses of the product that may be harmful in some manner. Inone embodiment the package communicates at least one beneficial featureassociated with an aspect of the product that is unrelated to the use ofthe product. In the example of the storage containers, the package maycommunicate that the plurality of containers promotes householdefficiency by providing a plurality of containers that may be easilyselected for use individually from a collection of container componentsthat may be stored in a unitized configuration. In this embodiment thepackage 20 comprises indicia 30. Indicia 30 illustrate the storage ofall or some of the kit components as a unitized configuration. Thiscommunication provides a shopper with an additional incentive topurchase the kit beyond any information related to the direct use of thekit components as storage containers. In the example, the information isrelated to an aspect of the kit contents related to the arrangement ofthe contents in a configuration dissociated from the direct use of thecontents. In a general sense, the indicia communicates a directbeneficial aspect of the product beyond any aspect associated with theuse of the product.

Information may be provided upon the package 20 surfaces using text,images, or a combination of text and images. The information may beapplied to the package using any suitable means including printing,embossing, laminating and other means for fixing text and graphicalimages to package surfaces.

The feature relates to an aspect of the plurality of containers 10unrelated to the direct use of the containers 10 as storage containers.In one embodiment, the feature relates to a consumer benefit associatedwith increased household organization derived from a manner of storingthe components 12, 14, of the containers 10 prior to and between theuses of the containers 10. In this embodiment, the benefit may berelated to the capacity of the kit components to be stored as a unitizedgroup where all the covers 14 and bodies 12 are consolidated into asingle unitized structure for storage purposes.

The feature may be communicated by means other than indicia upon thepackage 20. In one embodiment point of sale advertising and displaymaterials may be used to communicate the feature in conjunction with thepackage indicia. In another embodiment print and other media advertisingmay be used to communicate the feature. In any embodiment, theadditional communication may repeat the communication of the packageindicia, or the additional communication may augment the package indiciacommunication taking advantage of opportunities provided by additionalspace and media types.

All documents cited in the Detailed Description of the Invention are, inrelevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of anydocument is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior artwith respect to the present invention. To the extent that any meaning ordefinition of a term in this written document conflicts with any meaningor definition of the term in a document incorporated by reference, themeaning or definition assigned to the term in this written documentshall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in theart that various other changes and modifications can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is thereforeintended to cover in the appended claims all such changes andmodifications that are within the scope of this invention.

1. A kit comprising: a) a plurality of consumer products adapted for useas storage containers, b) a package adapted to at least partiallyenclose the plurality of containers, wherein the package comprisesindicia adapted to illustrate a feature of the consumer products, thefeature being related to an aspect of the products other than the use ofthe products.
 2. The kit according to claim 1 wherein the beneficialfeature relates to the storage of the products prior to and between usesof the products.
 3. The kit of claim 2 wherein the beneficial featurerelates to releasably joining distinct portions of respective productstogether.
 4. The kit according to claim 2 wherein the consumer productscomprise container bodies and associated container covers and whereinthe container bodies are adapted to releasably nest together and theassociated container covers are adapted to releasably join together. 5.A method of marketing a consumer product adapted for use as a storagecontainer, the method comprising steps of: a) providing a kit comprisinga plurality of the consumer products and a package wherein the packageat least partially encloses the plurality of containers, b) disposingindicia upon the package wherein the indicia illustrate a feature of theproducts that is related to an aspect of the products other than the useof the products as storage containers.
 6. The method according to claim5 further comprising the step of associating the consumer product withthe beneficial feature by a communication other than the indicia.
 7. Themethod according to claim 6 wherein the communication is a point of saleadvertisement.
 8. The method according to claim 6 wherein thecommunication is an advertisement.
 9. The method according to claim 6wherein the communication is a printed advertisement.